May the Odds be Ever in Your Favour
by FoxfaceIsANinja
Summary: Let the 60th annual Hunger Games begin! What will happen when one 16 year old district 4 girl is chosen in the reaping? Will she be a career? Will she have her own completely amazing way of going through her Games? 24 go in, 1 comes out. Please read and review! I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first fanfiction, and I hope you like it!:D Reviews would be great, they motivate me to write better and more! So yeah, please review. By review, I mean how much you like the story, and constructive criticism. The only thing flames are good for is to toast marshmallows! So anyway, on with the story. Enjoy:D**!

"Iva Windok."

All is silent as the masses of gathered people all turn their heads in different directions, searching for this year's unfortunate female tribute of District 4. I glance nervously around and then straighten myself up to walk to the stage, trying to look confident and tough as I did so. After all, coming from District 4, I am expected to act like a Career tribute.

Career tributes, or just Careers is the nickname given to the most bloodthirsty, the most monstrous tributes reaped each year, usually from Districts 1, 2 and 4. Those tributes form an alliance in the annual Hunger Games, sometimes also taking in a few other exceptional fighters. They work as a team to hunt down weak tributes and then eventually turn on each other as well. It is usually a Career who wins the Hunger Games.

The aim of the Hunger Games is to be the last surviving tribute. 24 tributes are chosen, or reaped by getting their name pulled out of a giant glass ball. There are two tributes from each of the twelve districts. They are all thrown into a giant arena which could have any sort of environment, and forced to fight to the death. The victor then gets to move into their district's Victor's Village and gets showered with prizes like money and food. I currently live in Victor's Village because my own mother won the 41st Hunger Games when she was 16. I don't think that _I_ will be returning.

As I finally mount the stage, I put on my best smirk, and see my own beautiful face being broadcast live on the giant television screen in our district square. I am relieved to see that I look confident, intelligent, definitely beautiful enough to attract sponsors and most of all, deadly. My family, on the other hand, look pale and terrified. Both my siblings are in silent tears. I know that they will both miss me, but it must be especially hard on my sister because she is now 19, and no longer eligible to volunteer. I know that she would definitely have volunteered to take my place, had she have still been 18, but sadly only 12 to 18 years olds can enter the Hunger Games.

"Congratulations Iva!" announces an overly excited Charlotte Pendleton. Charlotte Pendleton is District 4's assigned women whose job is to usher us around and help prepare us to enter the arena, in other words, our escort. She is from the Capitol, the bright, artificial-looking Capitol that makes all the rules and created the Hunger Games 60 years ago. I absolutely hate them for forcing innocent children to die every year.

For some reason, Charlotte gives a high-pitched giggle, though I can't figure out what is funny. Maybe it is just that she can't wait to watch another round of tributes mercilessly kill each other. She can't wait to watch 23 young children die.

"Now for the boys!" Charlotte nearly squeals. There is a moment of anticipation before… "Charlie Jones!" I look around just in time to see a pale 12 year old boy shakily starting to walk to the stage before his older brother desperately runs forward and volunteers. I have seen his 17 year old brother many times before, but I can't remember ever talking to him. His name is Alex Jones and I often see him at my twice-weekly training, although I stay at the bow and arrow or knife station most of the time, while he is best with both spears and axes. He has slightly similar looks to me, with the same light blonde hair, although my eyes are a darker shade of blue to his sky coloured ones. Also he is a boy and I am a girl so obviously we look at least a little different. He wordlessly joins me and smiles reassuringly in my general direction. "Well, shake hands!" Charlotte exclaims impatiently. We do and I am comforted by the kind and gentle way he grasps my hand. I didn't even notice that my hands were shaking until then, and I immediately stop, feeling embarrassed at my lack of self-control.

Although my mother is a victor, she is not the most recent so will not be my mentor. Instead, Grace Sherbington, the victor 3 years ago is the one who now shakes our hands and will later help us out in the arena. Us being myself and Alex, of course. Alex and I are ushered to separate small rooms with one thickly panelled window, very nice furniture and thick, red carpets. I am finally left alone to prepare for my goodbyes to my family. I know that my goodbyes might get emotional, but I can't afford to cry, to be shown on screens all over the country with a red face and puffy, wet eyes.

My whole family is literally thrown into the room by some Peacekeepers. "Oh Iva, I'll miss you!" sobs my mother, collapsing on the velvet couch next to me.

"But I'm sure we won't have to miss you for any more than a few weeks, because you're coming back, right Iva?" I silently look down, considering my little brother's words.

"I will try my very best to win, okay Jackson?"

"Please do, for me?" my brother asks, tears streaming down his little face.

"And me!" my big sister, Isabella, exclaims. "I wish that I was still 18, and I could have volunteered for you." whispers Isabella. I hug her tightly, on the verge of tears myself, before firmly holding her out arm's length and telling her what would most likely be my dying wish.

"If I die, please don't be too upset. I wouldn't like any of you to be sad because of me. Please, just try to get on with your lives and try to forget about me. Please." I really am hardly blinking back tears now.

"Don't say that!" my parents both exclaim at the same time, causing my father to manage a very brief smile before adding, "Don't say that because you won't die. We believe in you." A timer suddenly goes off and I know that my family must have to leave now. I quickly give them each a hug and say "I love you all!" before the Peacekeepers grab them and push them out of the room.

I sit in silence for a few minutes, not expecting any more visitors. I don't really have any close friends and all my other relatives are either dead or have moved to another district. So I am surprised when the door is flung open and a familiar face appears. It is my Sunday fishing partner, Holly. Every Sunday we fish together, we work well together and she is great company.

Very similar to me, she is brave, smart, funny and always smiling. Actually, right now is probably the first time I have seen her without a smile and bright eyes. I can tell the only reason she is holding her tears in is to be strong for me. "Iva…" she whispers. I see something shiny held in her tightly clenched fist.

"What's that?" I ask, pointing curiously at her hand. She doesn't hesitate before answering, "Remember a few weeks ago, you lent me this?" she replied, handing me the item. It is a beautiful silver necklace with a blue dolphin pendant. In fact I do remember it. It was given to me from my mother as a 14th birthday present.

"Yes, for good luck." I answer.

"Well, it worked for me, hopefully it will work for you. Take it into the arena and use it as your district token. Please?" Holly asks. I smile at her and take the token. "I believe in you. You can win." she unexpectedly says. Great. Now I have a whole collection of people trusting me to win. The timer goes off and she is taken from the room, leaving me completely alone in the world.

Eventually, a group of three Peacekeepers show me out of the building. The many cameras fixed on my face make me uncomfortable and self-conscious. Still, I put on my best fake smile and wave to the gathering crowd. Luckily Charlotte appears soon to escort me to the train station, where we will catch a train to the Capitol.

Everyone is waiting at the train station, including Alex Jones, Grace, a few Capitol attendants, more annoying onlookers and cameras, cameras everywhere! Again, I wave and smile until my jaw is hurting, which happens to be around the same time that we start to board the Capitol train.

The train is breathtakingly nice, even nicer than my posh house back in Victors Village, which I suppose is saying something. Except that here, everything is clean, tidy and simply perfect! The first thing I decide to do is take a look around my room. There I will have privacy, and I will be free to cry if I want to. But no, I am not allowed to leave yet. "Stay here and wave out the window to the other districts and the Capitol. Make them like you!" orders Grace. I sigh and wait for district 3 to appear through the window.

"So, Grace, do you have any advice for us?" asks Alex.

"Well, what are your strengths?" our mentor inquires. "You too, Iva!" I have to think for a minute before answering, "My best weapon is the bow and arrow, but I'm not bad with knives either. I can also climb, I have good plant knowledge and I am very smart" I say, but then really how up myself I sound and add, "but I'm not good with heavy weapons or camouflage." There. That's a bit more balanced out. Grace nods her head approvingly.

"And your looks will help you get a fair few sponsors" she adds, still nodding. "How about you, Alex?"

He hardly hesitates before his answer, "Well, I can really throw spears and axes, use knives in short distance or hand to hand combat, make snares and I have practiced camouflage since I could walk. So, pretty much the complete opposite of Iva." He smiles warmly at me.

Charlotte Pendleton, who has just been standing in the background until now, grins and says, "Wow, we seem to have a decent pair of tributes this year. I wouldn't be at all surprised if District 4 has a victor thi-"she is cut short by Alex,

"Look!" he exclaims. We all immediately turn our heads in the direction of the window, to see the bright lights and factories of District 3.

"That was quick!" I think out loud. Me and Alex rush up to the window and watch as people start slowly filing out of their factories. I know that a few of these people will have to go home only to begin mourning their loved ones who have been reaped today.

As soon as the first person spots us, I plaster my best smile on my face and again, wave. My arm muscles are actually beginning to hurt from all this waving. But I know that I have to make people like me, in order to get sponsors to help me stay alive in the arena. The District 3 inhabitants look tired and slightly frustrated about something, but they still point and wave at us.

I know the people of District 3 to be smart and friendly, like me. I wonder what the District 3 tributes will be like this year. After only a few minutes, all we can see is the greenery of a forest, the forest that I now know to separate districts 3 and 2. District 2!

We are coming closer to District 2, the place where usually the most strong and scary of all the tributes come from. This is the 60th Hunger Games, and from the previous 59 victors, 36 are from District 2. I am pretty sure that they train daily at the District 2 training centre. I train twice a week at our centre. Again I sit down.

"Okay, so are you two joining the Career pack this year?" Grace inquires. I myself had been contemplating this. At first it was a definite no, but after thinking about it, trusting my intelligent brain to come up with a good solution, I remembered that I was from District 4, and I was expected to join the Careers anyway. But I absolutely despise the bloodthirsty Career tributes, and I would hate to join them. But right then, after Grace voices the question that has been bouncing around in my head, I think of it. My plan.

After thinking for a second, I decide that my new plan should be kept a complete secret, at least from the people in this room. So I answer Grace, "Yes." Well, actually I will be. Temporarily. But that is just part of my plan. I don't intend on even my mentor knowing my plan, just in case she tries to stop me. I am broken from my intense thinking by Alex's voice saying, "Definitely." I get the feeling that he doesn't have a plan like me. He is really going to join them, willingly.

Eventually, we reach District 2. They are not as friendly as District 3, and largely ignore us. District 1 is similar but a few citizens actually look excited and wave to us. We are just kind of sitting around being bored when a bright flash of colour catches my eye. "The Capitol!" I gasp, shocked at the artificial beauty of the place.

"Wow!" Alex breathes, also stunned. Again, we rush up and smile at the Capitol citizens. And guess what else we do? Wave! Oh well, I can tell that they love us. I definitely don't love them. I don't even like them. They are silly and selfish, with their painted skin, crazy wigs, and love for watching children die only for their entertainment. I wonder if they will enjoy watching me die.

I am finally excused to visit my room, but only for half an hour, which is when we will eat dinner and the get off the train to go to our real Capitol room. As soon as I enter the room I am amazed by how fancy everything is, from the marble sink with a solid gold tap, to the bed that I'm not going to use anyway. Unfairness. That's what it is. I know that children in places like District 12 starve to death every day, while the Capitol refuses to share any of their unneeded riches. Unfairness.

I decide to take a shower. Back in District 4, my family is one of the lucky ones that own a shower. Mostly people make do with a tub of water warmed over the fire. This shower, on the other hand, is covered with buttons that are mostly meaningless to me. I press a few random buttons and am luckily rewarded with a downpour of warm water. My luck runs out and I am suddenly covered with a thick strawberry paste that hurts my skin but leaves it smooth and soft. I step out of the shower and experimentally prod some strange looking machine. I gasp as a current runs from my finger to my scalp, instantly drying my hair.

"Wow!" I whisper to myself. The Capitol has so many unneeded things. I dry my body with a towel and search through the drawers for something to wear to dinner. The drawers are all full of sparkly, fancy clothes. I pick out a plain yellow shirt and jeans. All that fancy stuff will be going to waste.

As I wander downstairs to the dining room, I can't even imagine what delicacies the Capitol attendants might be serving us for dinner. I am third to arrive in the dining room, the only people in there are Charlotte and some man I don't know. A few seconds later, a lady I don't know appears at the door. She is quite pretty, but her eyes have obviously been altered with advanced Capitol surgery to become a strange bright purple colour. Suddenly, I know that these people are the stylists! They will create stunning outfits for Alex and I to wear. I hope. "Hi." I say timidly.

"Hello Iva, we are Alex and your stylists. I am Toni and this is Ezra." says the man, in a very deep voice.

"Oh ok, hi Toni, hi Ezra!" I smile. They seem nice enough, and I just hope that they are good at their jobs. Just then, Alex bursts into the room with Grace Sherbington, Grace laughing at something. Ezra introduces herself and Toni before Alex could ask. Alex grins mysteriously.

A Capitol attendant appears, holding three amazing dishes. "First of your 4 courses." He announces. I'm surprised he can actually talk, because most of the attendants here are avoxes. An avox is someone who has committed a crime and had their tongue cut off by the Capitol. This man obviously isn't an avox, for he still has the ability to use his tongue to speak. The dishes are huge and each could probably keep my family going for a few days.

The first plate holds a fresh mango, feta and rocket salad. The second has and array of dumplings and spring rolls. The third has piles of fresh seafood like prawns, crab and even lobster! Once on a fishing trip with Holly I caught a lobster and we had the best dinner in months. I can tell that these dishes are 'entrees.' At school we sometimes learn about food and I distinctly remember to word 'entrée', though usually in those lessons I spend my time daydreaming.

Everything is absolutely delicious, and as soon as all the platters are empty, the second course comes. There are two giant platters served for this course. One has many different fresh fruits, many of which I have never seen before. The second has marinated chicken wings and rolls. This is all by far the best food I have ever tasted. Next comes the three main dishes. Roast pork with mashed potatoes, something delicious called lasagne, and chicken in a creamy orange sauce.

Last of all is four smaller dessert dishes. A chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, lamingtons and lemon meringue pie. Throughout the whole humungous meal, we are also served glasses of orange juice, water or hot chocolate. We sometimes get hot chocolate as a special treat back at home, but not as good as this Capitol version. Eventually I leave the table feeling bloated from all the great food, and go back to my room.

**Did you like the chapter? Please tell me so I know how much everyone likes it! The story gets better as it goes on, so please continue reading, you won't regret it!**

**P.S katniss and peeta are called toast, not any of the random other nicknames you give them. (Peeta- Bread. Katniss- Fire. Fire+Bread= Toast!:D So yeah... just saying.**

**Please review and thanks for reading!:)**

**-Jaz**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **

**before i start with the chapter, I would like to thank my one reviewer: coral-ebony**

**THANK YOU VERY MUCH! :D **

**Also, any more reviews would be much appreciated, i just need to know if anyone likes my story, and constructive criticism is good, too.**

**I WILL MAKE THE NEXT CHAPTER BETTER AND FASTER AND MAYBE LONGER IF I GET AT LEAST ONE DIFFERENT REVIEW!**

**PLEASE MY LOVELY READERS?**

**So, on with the story then...**

Unfortunately for District 4, we are close to the Capitol and will not spend the night on the train. Instead, now we have to get ready for changing rooms from here to some Capitol hotel. I decide to stay in what I'm wearing because I really can't be bothered getting changed. I sit around for a while and then go back downstairs. The train is just pulling to a stop when I join everyone. I don't have much time to wonder again why I had a bed in my room because the Capitol attendants are forcing us all right off the train. It's cold and dark outside so it's lucky we parked right outside our new 'houses.'

The hotel is similar to the train, everything comfortable, fancy and neat. We seem to be in a living room. I slump down on a blue velvet seat and tell everyone, "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Me too." Alex sighs. "Goodnight everyone." we say sleepily. I go up to my new room, change into some purple pyjamas and fall into bed. I am so tired from the day's events that I am asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of knocking and Charlotte's voice informing me that there is another 'big, big, big day' ahead of me. I groan and roll over, falling out of bed as I did so. "Oomph!" I say as I hit the floor. I quickly get up and take a shower, this time only pressing the warm water button and using an innocent bar of soap. I get to choose my clothes again today and I go with a white and black striped long-sleeved t-shirt and bright, dark blue skinny jeans that match my eyes. I jog downstairs and my eyes widen at the giant array of foods that will be served as our breakfast. "Good morning." smiles Alex

"Hi" I reply absent-mindedly. If I do put my plan into action, I don't think that I should be friends with Alex. But I suppose I shouldn't make an enemy so early in the Games either. Maybe I will just sort of ignore him for now until I think of something better. I go back to staring at everything on the dining table, from the waffles to the foreign looking fruits to the beef stew with hot white grain. I sit down at the table before realising that I have to serve myself. I stand up and load a plate with pancakes, watermelon and rolls, also grabbing a hot chocolate on the way back. I'm sticking with more familiar foods, because all this other crazy stuff is abnormal.

Everyone has already started eating and Charlotte looks impatiently at me. "Took you long enough!" she exclaims quite rudely. Funny, I didn't think I took _that_ long. Oh well. While I begin to dig into my delicious breakfast Charlotte speaks again, this time more politely. "Okay, so as soon as we finish breakfast we go downstairs to watch the televised recap of the reaping. Then you will be introduced to your prep teams and try on the an outfit that you will wear for tomorrow's chariot parade." I nod, showing that I understand an then continue with my breakfast.

As soon as everyone finishes their meals, Charlotte rushes us to watch that reaping recap. I decide to bring a piece of paper to write down names of noteworthy tributes, and to make my own private list of possible allies for my plan. First comes District 1. The boy seems quite pathetic for someone from a Career district, but the girl, named Shine, looks like a real threat. I scribble down her ridiculous name on my paper. District 2 seems especially scary this year and I write down both their names.

The girl looks evil and dangerous, and has a scary glint in her eyes. The boy is 18 years old, gigantic and muscular. His muscles nearly bulge out of his shirt and he looks absolutely terrifying. Both real Careers. District 3 is uninteresting. The comes Alex and I. I am called up first and I am satisfied that I don't even look surprised. Then Alex runs forward to volunteer for his brother. We both actually look like worthy Careers. Everything is boring again until District 8, where a sneaky looking girl with long black hair volunteers for a 13 year old girl who must be her sister. I decide that I want her to be my ally.

I draw a star next to the girl's name, which happens to be Faith. District 9 and 10 both have weak looking tributes, they will probably all be dead in the first day. Tears nearly fill my eyes as a tiny 12 year old boy takes the stage in District 11. That boy bursts into tears when he realises that no one will volunteer for him. The girl is 18 but still looks far too underfed and weak. There is a small boy chosen from District 12 who tries to look tough but starts crying after a short while. The girl is boring. So, all I want is that girl from District 8, the one who volunteered for her sister. I look down at my list and see this.

Shine, District 1/ female

Nutmeg, District 2/ female

Colin, District 2/ male

Alex, District 4/ male ?

Faith, District 8/ female (allies)

The as an afterthought I add:

Pride, District 1/ male

I sigh and look around the room. Alex looks thoughtful. Grace looks bored. So does Charlotte. I think I even see Charlotte roll her eyes before announcing, "Time to get prepped for tomorrow!" I groan, knowing that the prepping will be painful. Grace looks at me weirdly and says, "Well, it has to be done!" We walk silently back upstairs and Alex and I are shown to separate rooms. As soon as I enter my room I am nearly blinded by the 3 colourful Capitol citizens, my prep team.

"Hi, I'm Diamond!" squeaks one. "Burnia!" squeals another. "I'm Zolanda!" announces the last. Strange, they are all female. I assumed that there would be at least one man. "Um… Hi?" I answer timidly. They beam and get right to work. For now, they are mainly just working on my skin. I know that tomorrow they will make my hair and face look wonderful. First they put me in a tub full of green foam.

It burns quite a lot but then I am transferred to another tub full of soothing pink mixture. I am removed only to have all three of my prep team wax my whole body. I have been waxed once before, for Isabella's 18th birthday party, which of course was very special, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt to have my hair ripped from my body. I have to bite my lip to prevent myself from crying out in pain a fair few times. Apparently the prep team are relieved to have a fairly hairless tribute. Whatever. It's fine for them, they aren't about to be sent into an arena to most likely be brutally murdered! All they care about is the difficulty of waxing.

Finally they sort of polish my body with a clear-ish liquid, leaving my skin nothing less than perfect, and paint my filed nails in pink and blue stripes. "Done!" they all shout together as soon as they finish. "Now Toni will show you your costume." says Burnia.

"You won't get to keep it on until tomorrow, but you will try it on now!" adds Zolanda.

"It's beautiful!" squeals Diamond. I have to admit I am extremely curious to see what my outfit will be. I just hope it's good!

I walk into the next room to find Toni holding out a dress. Wow. It _is_ beautiful.

The top of the dress is fairly tight. It is a stunning shade of aqua that matches the eye shadow the prep team coated my eyelids in. At around the bottom of my ribcage the dress flairs out in different shades of blue and silver. Beautiful. I can't wait to show it off in the chariot rides tomorrow! I thank Toni because this dress will most likely help me to get sponsors, and convince the Careers to let me join their group. An essential part of my plan. I think for a second before giving Toni a big hug to show him just how much I appreciate it. "I think you have to go back to your room now." Toni says kindly. I agree and leave, happily anticipating tomorrow.

.0

I take another shower and decide to gamble a little by pressing a few different buttons experimentally. I gasp and jump out when I accidentally press the freezing water button. I then have lavender scented soap that feels soothing against my skin fired at me. I shiver and again press the warm water button. My heart rate slows a little and I make a mental note to remember these buttons. Eventually I come out to get changed.

I know that today we have the chariot parade so I will have to get changed almost immediately anyway. I get into simple black skinny jeans and a boring red shirt. I walk to the dining room, where I know everyone will be waiting. As I walk, I realise that Charlotte didn't come to wake me up this morning. She is not in the dining room either. Maybe she is sleeping in today. Instead, I see that the prep teams have joined the breakfast table, along with the stylists, Grace Sherbington and Alex Jones.

Again, my eyes widen at all the breakfast foods. As I look, I notice that I am starving, having been so tired last night that I completely forgot about dinner! I load my plate with even more delicacies than yesterday, and get both a hot chocolate and a glass of orange juice. I stuff myself with the foods and gulp down both drinks before going to get seconds of the strange little things that Grace calls scones. They are delicious. I eat them too. When I finish, Ezra tells me and Alex that we will now go get changed into our chariot costumes and get our hair and makeup done.

We all leave, except for Grace and some Capitol attendant, who are in a conversation and aren't needed right now anyway. I go back to the same room as yesterday with my team. They do my makeup quite lightly, using the same eye shadow as yesterday as well as pink lipstick and a little mascara. Then they do my hair in a pretty way, with a braid leading to a beautiful, loose bun at the back of my head. I am still just wearing my clothes from this morning, but I will get changed back into my outfit again soon. Right then, Zolanda, Diamond and Burnia finish and lead me off to the room where Toni is waiting.

Toni greets me with a bright smile and gets right down to business. He carefully helps me into my dress, making sure not to ruin my hair. Then comes a pearl necklace and pearl tiara. I'm wearing white heels that luckily aren't high enough that I can't walk. My outfit is really just perfect, it's beautiful, comfortable and still reflects the 'flavour' of District 4, what with the shades of blue and aqua, and the pearls. "On the chariot, don't act girly. You do look beautiful but you have to act fierce, to seem like a Career. You don't want any sponsors overlooking you as someone who can't fight!" Toni winks and hands me my final accessory, which is a pearl bracelet that looks just like a small version of my necklace. I wonder what Alex will look like. He should match with me, so I'm thinking similar colours but not a dress.

Toni and I walk back to join everyone else, who are just getting ready to leave. I notice that Charlotte has finally joined us. I also notice that everyone else seems bored, and realise that I would have taken much longer than Alex to get ready, being a female. They must have been waiting for me. "Good morning Charlotte! Sorry to keep you all waiting." I say apologetically.

"That's okay." Alex answers with a smile. I look at him emotionlessly.

0-0-0-0-0

We manage to arrive late to the parade, District 1 is already leaving for their circuit. We rush to get ready and almost as soon as we are in position our chariot lurches forward. Just then, I notice what Alex is wearing. It is a nice fishing shirt the same colour as one of the shades of blue in my dress. The shirt is paired with long black pants and white shoes rimmed with tiny pearls. We go perfectly together! "You look nice." I tell him.

You don't look too bad yourself." he replies. I smile, knowing that the prep team and Toni _have_ made me look beautiful. We have to stop talking now because we have just come into the sight range of the Capitol audience. As soon as they see us, they start screaming their admiration and throw roses at us. Like I was told to, I act superior and barely even look around at all my fans. From the corner of my eye, I see Alex almost mimicking my own actions, though sometimes throwing in a wave here and there. Once my circuit is finally complete, Alex and I join the line of other district's tributes, everyone still in their chariots. When everyone had joined us, President Snow, the young president who came into power not too long ago, makes a boring speech. I nearly fall asleep.

Soon we are allowed to leave and go 'home.' Home to our Capitol hotel. After a while of just thinking about today, it is lunch time. This is the slowest day I've had in ages. I have a really quick lunch, just a chicken sandwich, and then run upstairs to get ready for our first training session. I was hoping that I would have time at the parade to talk to Faith. I don't think I'll get that chance again until the Career's prying eyes have turned away. I have to convince the Careers that I am joining them, and that won't work if I'm asking other tributes to be allies right under their noses! I find a drawer labelled 'training clothes.' I also find a few identical outfits in that drawer, each a dark green shirt and black leggings, with white, soft running shoes. I hurriedly get changed and walk down to the training area.

The training area reminds me of our training centre back home, except that this one has an even wider variety of stations. Since I'm going to start off with the Careers, I figure that I can show off my skills as much as I want to. The remaining tributes slowly arrive, two by two, some panting. As soon as the last tribute arrives, the man who currently runs training explains the stations and something about not forgetting survival skills. Whatever. Then we are all free to do whatever we want, except kill or hurt each other, of course. Alex and I decide straight away to go create the Career alliance. We walk confidently up to where the two District 2 tributes are standing and introduce ourselves.

"Hi, my name is Iva and this is Alex. We were wondering if you would like to form an alliance. A Career alliance. With us and District 1." I say.

"Funny, we were just wondering the same thing!" Nutmeg exclaims, grinning.

"It's a yes!" Colin adds, "Wait, actually I'm only joining if we only have the District 1 girl, Shine. Her partner, Pride, is pathetic." he says. Alex thinks for a moment before saying, "It's a deal!" Just then Shine walks up and begins, "I was wondering if all of you would like to join an al-" I interrupt with a loud "yes!" Shine grins. "Careers." She states. "Hey, were you guys planning on letting Pride into the alliance?" she inquires, looking over at her District partner, who just tried to throw a knife at a target but missed by at least a metre.

"No." admits Nutmeg.

"Fine by me!" Shine replies. Wow, I completely hate everyone I'm talking to. Except maybe Alex. I don't think I fully hate him, just dislike.

"Let's go intimidate everyone with our great skills! What are all your favourite weapons?" Colin wonders.

"Bow and arrow!" I immediately answer

"Spears and axes." Says Alex

"Knives." replies Nutmeg. Funny, District 2 girls are always good with knives.

"Spears!" Colin answers his own question.

"Knives as well!" says Shine. We all go to mostly different stations. I always hit the bullseye with my bow and arrows. Shine and Nutmeg never miss with their knives. Same with Colin, Alex and their spears. I see some other tributes staring at us in awe. I smirk and continue.

**Sooo... did you like the chapter? please tell me in a review. *wink wink nudge nudge***

**Bye for now!**

**-Jaz**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: This is an author's note. Sort of.**

Tonight, it takes me a fair while to fall asleep. After eating an average sized dinner of roast beef, potatoes, peas and gravy, I walk upstairs silently and fall into bed. I didn't even bother with a shower or even pyjamas. I just stayed in what I was wearing and tried to fall asleep. Now, it's about 1 am and I still can't get to sleep. I decide that there is nothing to do but lay there and wait for sleep to find me, and I eventually drift off.

I wake up the next morning, take a shower, using my new favourite buttons, get changed into my training gear and walk downstairs for breakfast. Today I get a small omelette and toast. At ten, I walk to the training area for the first full day of training.

Today I spend a bit of time learning how to make shelters, and then I show off a bit more at the plant station, knives, climbing and back to archery. Us Careers talk to each other a bit more.

"At my training in District 2, I could hit a target perfectly from about 70 metres away with my spear!" Colin brags. I would find that hard to believe with any other person, but Colin's bulging muscles look able enough for that.

"Well, I could knock down any dummy with my knives from that distance!" Nutmeg exclaims.

"No you couldn't, I go to the same training centre as you and you can hardly throw accurately from 10 metres away." Colin retorts. Their bickering goes back and forth for a while and I roll my eyes. Tired of their childishness, I turn to Alex for a little sanity.

"So, um… how are you liking this alliance so far? I ask.

"It's great! I know we'll impress the audience much more than last year's Careers, they were pathetic! He answers enthusiastically.

"We sure will!" Shine joins the conversation. I look at her surprised, I forgot she was there! "We sure will impress the Capitol, I mean…" she adds awkwardly.

Suddenly I notice the girl from District 6 staring at me angrily. What does she want?

"What are you looking at?" I yell across the room to that girl, surprising myself with the harsh tone that the words sound in. I see I've surprised nearly everyone else in the room. They are all looking at me. Colin and Nutmeg have even stopped their pointless argument to turn around and stare at me.

"What...?" Alex says, confused. His head turns around and sees the girl who is still glaring at me.

"What's her problem?" Colin asks.

"I don't know, I don't think I did anything to her..." I reply, confused. I stare back at the girl, trying to figure out why she was looking at me like that. Most tributes now turn away, except for the girl, who I see is now walking slowly and dangerously over to me.

"What do you want?" I ask the girl. She glares at me and replies,

"I want to how good the Careers actually are. I've always thought of them as arrogant and overrated." she now smiles sweetly, greatly annoying me.

"Okay... that's nice." I say. "But why did you come over here?"

"I was thinking a little competition. A weapon challenge. Maybe both go to one station and see who... hits the most targets?" she suggests. "A friendly competition.".

"Friendly?" scoffs Shine in the background.

"Yes, friendly." The other girl replies. Shine frowns. I wonder what this girl has up her sleeve. She seems confident enough that I am starting to prepare for a trick.

"So which weapon were you thinking of?" I ask. "Oh, and what's your name?"

"My name's Danielle, and if the choice is up to me, I pick archery." Danielle replies. I grin inwardly, glad that she has not chosen something I'm bad at, like spears

"Sounds good." I say. "Let's go."

We head off to the archery station, which is still in view of my fellow Careers.

"Most bullseyes out of 10 wins." I suggest. Danielle nods and picks up a wooden bow and matching arrows. She shoots, and completely misses that whole target. She blinks, apparently shocked.

"These bows are different to the ones back home!" she exclaims, fiddling with the string.

I'm not sure if she's telling the truth or if these bows actually are familiar and she's embarrassed . I hope she's just embarrassed, otherwise I might have trouble too.

I pick up an intricately patterned metal bow and shoot at the bullseye. It works perfectly fine for me, and the arrow meets its target. I am already on one point while Danielle will probably be lucky to get even one bullseye from all ten of her shots. Her turn now. She seems to have started to get a feel for this new bow because her next arrow lands about an inch from the centre. I shoot again, another perfect bullseye. I vaguely hear the Careers laughing in the background. They seem to be enjoying this, while I am actually feeling sorry for this girl, who is probably good with a bow, and is being completely outshone.

Danielle grits her teeth and squints her eyes, using intense concentration. She shoots, and… bullseye! I gape at her with wide eyes, shocked that she really can shoot very well. The bow must be unfamiliar and she is just getting the hang of it. I shoot her an encouraging look, being careful not to let the Careers see. I shoot another bullseye. This goes on and on until we have both had ten shots and the Careers are starting to look bored. Danielle missed three in all and I missed none.

"Good game." I say, shaking her hand.

"You too." she replies.

.0.0

I let out a huff of relief as I return to the Careers. "How was I?" I ask

"Great!" everyone answers, grinning. "I wish they televised the training. That was amazing!" Alex tells me. I blush and thank him, not knowing why I am blushing.

"So, anyone want to do some more training? I'm leaving now." I say. Everyone ends up staying, so I am left alone to walk to my room. On the way to the elevator, I notice Faith is leaving at the same time as me! This will be that perfect chance to talk to her!

"Faith!" I run to catch up to her.

"Iva?" she replies. I'm surprised that she actually knows my name.

"Would it be alright if… you came to my floor for a minute? I want to talk to you." I say.

"Sure" she replies uncertainly. We catch the elevator up to floor 4, where we step out and I start talking.

"So I know that I seem to have joined the Careers, but I hate them!" I exclaim. "But I thought of a plan, and it includes you, Faith."

"Why?" she asks curiously.

"Because as soon as I saw you volunteer for your sister, I wanted you for an ally." I reply. I give her a few moments to let the news sink in.

"But how would that work? You're with the Careers!" Faith says. And with that, I explain my plan to her.

"I want to join the Careers for the start of the Games. If you want to accept my plan, you will sprint straight from the Cornucopia without getting anything. At night, with the Careers, I will volunteer to take first watch. While everyone else is sleeping, I will collect some valuable supplies, and leave. When we first reach the arena, you can maybe point in the direction that you will run. And then I can follow you and catch up to you and we can be allies, with plenty of valuable items. Also, we will both definitely survive the bloodbath at the beginning." I blurt out everything.

"Wow!" she replies with shining eyes, "Yes, I accept!"

I grin excitedly and give her a sudden hug. "Allies…"I whisper.

.0

"Wake up Iva! You have another big, big, big day ahead of you!" Charlotte squeals, while knocking crazily at my door. She leaves to let me get ready. I do get ready, eat breakfast and ask Grace what we will be doing today.

" Later on, you will have your private sessions with the Gamemakers, you know, the ones where you get a score out of twelve?" Grace cocks her head to the side, checking if we understand. Alex and I nod and I gesture for her to continue. "Before that, you will have lessons with Charlotte and I to prepare for the interviews tomorrow. Charlotte will teach presentation and I will teach content. Iva, you're going with Charlotte first, Alex, you're with me."

Soon after that, we head to a different room to begin. Charlotte shows me everything possible about presenting myself to the Capitol audience. That includes how to sit, to never stop smiling, posture and walking in heels. The walking in heels is by far the worst part. Charlotte puts me in needlepoint 5-inch heels and a long dress that I continuously trip over. My feet are aching when I am finally excused for my lessons with Grace. I know that we left the practise lessons a little late because the interviews are only tomorrow, but there was no other chance. When I walk into my lessons with Grace, there is a nice lunch already spread on the table. Grace greets me and lets me know that we can eat lunch and then she will give her lesson.

We gobble down lunch and then Grace sort of stares at me for a while. "What?" I ask.

"I'm just trying to figure out the perfect angle for your interview. I've been thinking either funny, deadly or confident, but I'm mostly leaning towards confident." Grace tells me. I think that confident will work, though I might need to act a little.

"Confident sounds good." I reply. Grace grins.

"Confident it is! Now let's get to work." says Grace, and has me answer a heap of random questions that I may be asked, in a confident, slightly cocky way. She also lets me add in a little humour here and there. The interviews are a key way to getting sponsors. If potential sponsors find a particular tribute appealing, especially during the interviews, it is more likely that they will sponsor that tribute in the arena. I find that I am enjoying this lesson much more that the last one. As soon as I finish, I have to go get ready for my private session to show off my skills to the Gamemakers.

I get changed into my last training outfit, and Charlotte escorts me down to a room on the same floor as the training area, Alex trailing along behind.

Alex and I enter the small, cramped room and go sit with the Careers. I look at Faith and wish that I could sit with her instead. A few minutes later, Pride, the District 1 male is called to have his session. In three days, the scores will be televised, though I wish that I could know mine sooner, to prevent the nervousness that I'm sure will soon start bubbling up inside me.

The scores can also earn or lose sponsors, because sponsors usually direct their money towards higher scoring tributes. Each tribute has around 15 minutes to impress the Gamemakers, then in three days the Gamemakers give each tribute a score from one to ten, with one being absolutely terrible and twelve being stunningly high. There has never been a tribute to get a twelve, though about 15 years ago a District 2 boy got an eleven. I am hoping to get between 8 and 10.

Soon, Shine is called up for her session. She takes a deep breath and walks through the large, blue door into the next room. As soon as she is gone, I start planning what I will do in my session. I'm thinking to start off with a good first impression, maybe archery, and then show off all my skills that I have learnt in District 4 and the ones I have learnt in the past few days. I figure I will just have to inspire myself on the spot in the session because it's too hard to concentrate right now.

Alex is just getting called up when I start getting nervous. What if I get a really low score? What if I mess up at a crucial moment? Before I know it, I hear my own name being called to come into my session. I stand up and walk through the door leading to the room I will have my private session.

.0

As soon as I walk in, I realise how lucky I am to be one of the first tributes to have their session. By the time Districts 9-12 are called up, I bet that the Gamemakers would be bored and wouldn't pay much attention to whatever the tributes are doing. The Gamemakers are all staring at me.

I cross straight over to the bow and arrows at the archery station. I pick a plain wooden bow with matching arrows, very similar to the one that that District 6 girl, Danielle used yesterday, and immediately whip around and shoot a target right in the bullseye. I then realise how boring that is and look around quickly for other targets. I first see three ropes used for climbing near each other on the complete other side of the large room. I take meticulous aim and sever all three ropes easily, one by one. I search frantically for something else when an inspiration hits me. I find the nearest bare wall and start shooting, sometimes also throwing knives. All the arrows and knives lodge into the wall and spell out the words 'Iva=Victor.'

I briefly stand back to admire my work and look at the approving Gamemakers before I go to the plant station. In no less than a few seconds, I have identified all the poisonous plants and separated them from the pile of edible ones. Too easy. Now for the grand ending… What to do? I do know that I have to incorporate climbing, but simple climbing might bore the Gamemakers. It needs to be more… impressive. I get an idea, it might be tricky, but it will be impressive.

I grab a knife and some strong looking rope and climb up the tree like I was made for it. It seems a bit strange, but there are about 10 trees in the corner of this room. As soon as I reach the very top of the tree, which took no less than about 40 seconds, I tie my rope to the knife, also showing off my new knot-tying skills. I throw my knife with every bit of strength that I possess into a nearby tree, still holding one end of the rope. It is very important that I threw hard enough that the knife can hold my weight.

I nearly close my eyes before swinging straight to a nearby tree and landing balanced on a strong branch. That's when I remember another thing that I once accidentally did out in the trees of District 4. I sit on the branch, then slowly lean backwards until I am just hanging from my knees, with my arms dangling beneath me. I take a deep breath and drop onto the smaller branch below me, I am now holding onto the first branch with my toes and the lower branch with my fingertips. I completely drop, using the momentum from the slight fall to flip around the smaller branch, holding on with my hands. I finally let go just at the right moment, and fly through the air, this time completely unsupported, and land on another branch.

I let out a giant sigh of relief and go fetch my knife and rope. I throw my knife down, so that it lodges into a target and climb down to the lowest branch of the tree. There I quickly tie a new snare that I learnt, tie it to the tree, grab a dummy and ensnare it, leaving it dangling in the air. I jump down and take a bow, then look at the stunned Gamemakers.

Most of them are wide-eyed and obviously amazed. I'm pleased that I have impressed them and not even messed up once! I am excused and I walk from the room, feeling satisfied and confident.

**Wow! Training chapter! Anyone like the fight thing? Sorry about the Sue-ish-ness in the session, but I got carried away!:) I just write for fun.**

**Pretty Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

**Okay, before this chapter i would like to say thank you to another reviewer- Izzieric**

**Thanks for the support!**

**Also, i wont update again until i get one more review. i just need to know if people actually like my story, and constructive criticism is still as great as pie! :)**

**Come on awesome readers, I know you can do it! So yeah, as soon as i get just one more review or favourite or follow or anything, BAM! the next chapter will come up. (Well, maybe not straight away but i'll try to be fast.)**

**:D**

Later on, I am lying in my room thinking about my session. I am pleased that I incorporated archery, knife throwing, plant knowledge, snares, climbing, and a little bit of each knot tying and agility. I think that I might have managed to get a 9 or 10.

I wonder what score Alex will get? What score Faith will get? What score I will get? Soon I am called down for dinner. After dinner we will receive our much-wanted scores. I walk downstairs to the giant dinner buffet and get a tiny meal, I'm so nervous that I don't think I can hold down something substantial. I'm just wishing this peaceful silence will continue when Grace speaks up.

"So, what did you two do?" she asks. Alex's eyes shine as he explains his every move in the session in detail to everyone.

Apparently he mainly threw spears and axes, but also camouflaged and made snares. I know that Alex's snares would have been much more impressive than mine, but I have only just learnt. Grace nods after Alex finishes explaining how every spear he threw landed perfectly on the bullseye. Then it is my turn.

"First I shot only one bullseye with my bow and arrow, and then I figured how boring that is. I shot three ropes on the other side of the room. Oh, and then I threw knifes and shot more arrows into a wall and spelt out my name, an equals sign, and the word victor." I say, smirking. "Then I did the whole plants station in a few seconds. I also climbed a tree and tied a rope to a knife. I chucked the knife into another tree and swung from the rope, attached to the tree by the knife. I kind of flipped around the trees and climbed down, made a snare and caught a dummy in it. The I left." I finish, now with a bored expression on my face.

I'm glad to see that everyone looks impressed, even Alex.

"Good job, both of you!" exclaims Grace. "Well, I think it's time to go find out your scores!" she checks her watch and smiles, excited. We walk to the same room that we watched to reaping recap in and sit down. Soon some people start talking on the television about this year's tribute. I'm barely listening but I hear my own name pop up a few times.

Finally, the program begins with Caesar Flickerman introducing the show.

"After three days of careful evaluation, each of the tributes of the 60th annual Hunger Games have been given a score from 1 to 12. Now let's see where each of these contestants rank!" Caesar cries through the microphone, followed by a deafening cheer of the Capitol audience.

First, Pride shows up on the screen with a number 7 next to his large, empty head. Then comes Shine with a 10, Nutmeg with a 9, and Colin with a 10. I guessed that Colin would get at least a ten. Alex gets a 9 and I hold my breath, waiting for my score. My head pops up with an odd score beside it.

An eleven.

A murmur runs through everyone in the room and I gasp. I have the highest score of all the Careers! And I'm also a tied first for highest score in the Hunger Games history! Suddenly everyone jumps up and goes crazy. Well, everyone except Alex, who right now I'm guessing has slight jealousy problems.

Both the stylists, who I had hardly even noticed were there, hug me and Ezra kisses me on the cheek. Charlotte is squealing and making weird squeaky sounds. Grace slaps me on the back and is nearly crying with happiness. An eleven! I am surprised that I got a score so high. I take a free breath and slump down in my seat, relieved.

I look back at the screen and realise that I have missed all of District 5, all of District 6, and the boy from 7. The girl comes up with a 5. That's when I remember Faith. I pay closer attention now and watch the District 8 boy get a 3. Then I see Faith's face appear with an 8. Eight is a terrific score for someone from a district as low-lying as District 8! I grin and ignore the rest of the show.

.0

The next day, I wake up early. Today we have our interviews with Caesar Flickerman, and we will be broadcast live across the whole country. These interviews are another key way to getting sponsors. I'm glad for my score of 11 yesterday, because I know that now many sponsors will direct their money and prizes towards me.

I also know that Colin will have many sponsors as well, because of his high score and scary muscles. Same with Shine. Alex and Nutmeg might not be quite so lucky, but they are still Careers, and Careers naturally always get sponsors. I still can't believe that I received an 11! I didn't think that I was that good, but maybe it was that I excelled at a whole variety of stations in my session.

I look at the clock on the bedside table. It's 5.45a.m. I'm really not tired and I know that there are a lot of things to be done with me before the interview, so I get out of bed now. I go to take a shower, and decide to be a bit adventurous today. After all, my prep team will have to fix me up for the interview anyway! I close my eyes and gently prod a random button near the edge of the shower.

"Eek!" I screech as I am covered in alternating streams of purple bubble bath mixture and a disgustingly sticky, sweet-smelling liquid. Honey! That's what it is! Honey is an extremely rare delicacy back in District 4. I simply can't believe that some Capitol citizens _shower _in the stuff! I quickly switch off the shower and warily press some different buttons.

I gasp as I am covered in icy-cold water that is somehow even colder than the freezing water I accidentally used the other day. Then I quickly punch the hot water button. Oh good, I actually like this hot water way better than my normal warm water!

Feeling lucky, I press another button and am instantly deluged in orange flavoured whipped cream. Okay then. Having a whipped cream shower is a little odd, but I actually don't mind it. Soon I rinse myself off and get dry, smelling like oranges.

Because the interviews are today, I will receive a new outfit, so it doesn't really matter what I wear now. I get changed into a dark green shirt and black shorts. I leave my necklace that I will use as a token in the arena on a bench, and sigh. My token reminds me of my family, friends and District 4 in general. I miss my family so badly, and I am sure they are missing me terribly as well. I think of Jackson and Isabella, who I would guess would still be upset, and my parents, who would comfort my siblings

I walk slowly to the door, only to open it and see Charlotte standing there, poised to knock. She had obviously just come to wake me up. A bright smile lights up Charlotte's face and she says, "Good, you're already ready. Come down for breakfast now!" I do what she tells me and walk downstairs. The first thing I notice us a large bowl of that orange cream that I showered in this morning. I stare at it for a second, and then run forward ravenously. I don't remember feeling at all hungry before, but now that I see all these delicious foods, I can hardly control myself.

I fill a large plate with pancakes, bacon, sausages, fruit and much more. I sit at the table, where only Ezra, Charlotte and myself are present, and gobble down half my food. I stop mid-bite to get a mug of hot chocolate, then sit down again and finish my plate. Right as I finish, everyone else piles into the room, except for the prep teams. They must be busy preparing everything for when they have to do Alex and I up.

Just as the last person stumbles sleepily into the room, who happens to be Toni, I stand to get seconds. As soon as everyone is sitting down with a plate of food, Grace speaks, "Good luck with your interviews today!" She exclaims.

"Thanks!" I reply, with my mouth half full. Charlotte looks at me disapprovingly for that.

"I know that you will both be great. I bet the whole Capitol audience will absolutely love you!" Toni adds in, all traces of sleepiness suddenly gone. I gulp. The whole Capitol audience. These interviews might be a little scary with so many spectators. My fear must have started to show on my face because Grace looks at me with concern before saying, "Remember, Iva, you're confident, Alex you're deadly." What? Alex is meant to be deadly? Well I didn't know that. We nod and I finish my second plate.

I sit back and pat my belly, feeling bloated. "Come on Alex, the prep teams have to prep you and Iva now!" Ezra says. Oh yeah, now we have to get prepped again. But then we will also receive special new outfits for the interview, from Toni and Ezra.

"I'm ready!" I nearly shout.

"Okay, come on then." Toni sighs.

Toni and I walk to the prep room and Toni leaves, probably preparing some fabulous new creation for me to wear. The prep team instantly starts squealing, just at the sight of me. I wonder if they continuously eat sugar or something, to keep themselves so hyper all the time. I sit down and let the prep team soak me, wax me, soak me again, file my nails and repaint them, and straighten my hair.

As soon as they finish fussing over me, I am ushered over to the next room, where I will get my interview outfit. I wonder what Toni has created this time. I hope it's as good as the chariot outfit! The prep team run away squealing as soon as we reach the door, like a bunch of 4-years olds. I briefly glimpse Zolanda tripping over her own feet, before shaking my head and turning back to the door. They really are… enthusiastic. I sigh and knock on the door.

The first thing I see is one of Toni's bright green eyes peering through the sliver of door that he has opened. His light eyes brighten as soon as he sees that it is only me, and he flings open the door with an excited smile. I hope this excitement is because he has created something amazing and can't wait for me to see it!

"Good morning again, Iva!" Toni grins.

"Hey Toni!" I reply, somewhat cautiously, "Is the outfit good?" I have a feeling that Toni has created something perfect, judging by his satisfied grin that has not left his face.

"Wait and see." He tells me mischievously. He leads me to one corner of the room, but before I can see my outfit my eyes are covered with Toni's large hand.

"What?" I exclaim, surprised.

"You can't see it yet. I will put it on you and then you can see yourself wearing it. You'll love it!" Toni announces. I think for a brief second before agreeing happily, I actually like surprises!

I get changed into my costume, which I think now is another dress, but I am still blindfolded so I can't be entirely sure. Toni fixes my hair and places a hard headband around my head. Then I clutch Toni for support and balance as I step blindly into my shoes. My shoes feel only about 2 inches high and are actually quite comfortable and easy to move around in. He also gives me a necklace and bracelet, which I can tell are the same pearl ones from the chariot rides.

The dress feels smooth and soft against my skin, and though it reaches the floor, I can tell that it was made so that I can walk without tripping over. I shut my eyes tighter as Toni personally does my makeup. He does it lightly, as my face doesn't ever really need makeup.

"Okay, open your eyes!" Toni exclaims, still excited. I do open my eyes, and spin around to face the mirror. My big, dark blue eyes stare back at me for a moment and I see my own mouth open in a gasp. Once again, Toni has made me look absolutely beautiful.

The silky dress with light shades of blue fading into white compliments my skin shade perfectly. The headband is hard and silver, with a large blue circle at the front. The shoes are silver and go well with both the dress and the headband. Beautiful.

I look like… a princess? No. A… goddess? Yes! I look like a goddess, powerful yet beautiful. Even more so when Toni places a decorative trident in my hand.

"There, you look stunning!" Toni tells me.

"You're amazing, Toni!" I exclaim, launching forward to hug him tightly. He grins and hugs me back.

"Thank you Iva. Now you go get every potential sponsor on your side with your lovely personality and amazing smile!" he replies fondly.

At this I flash him a bright smile and answer, "Any sponsors I get will only like me because of you making me look beautiful."

"Now that's where you're wrong. Any sponsor would choose you because they admire your outstanding courage and beautiful personality. Besides, I didn't make you beautiful, nor did the prep team. All we did is play around with your hair and put you in a dress, your beauty is purely natural!" Toni finishes his enthusiastic speech and I roll my eyes.

"Okay Toni. Hey, did I tell you I love the dress?" I say.

"Well, I sort of figured you like dress. Now, it's really time to go." He replies. "Oh, and I'll be in the front row of the crowd. You know, just in case." He adds. I beam and walk out of the room.

I have to walk down the stairs carefully, as to not trip and fall down. I giggle nervously as I imagine my slightly clumsy self getting injured, right before the interviews and the arena. As soon as I reach the bottom of the stairs and enter the next room, I am engulfed in hugs and cries of "You look gorgeous!" I mumble a thank you and turn around just in time to see Alex entering the room.

He is looking striking in a tuxedo with a blue top, white tie and white pants. Now it's his turn to nearly fall over after being attacked with enthusiasm. He's panting as he finally emerges to look at me. "You look incredible, Iva!" he says rather nervously. I blush and reply,

"You look great too, Alex."

"No really, you look amazing!" Alex answers earnestly. My blush deepens and I resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him like a five year old. Instead I sigh and say, "Blame it on Toni and the prep team."

He laughs and says, "Well, I think we had better be going now." He looks to Charlotte for assurance and she nods, "Yes, the interviews start quite soon."

Remember everything that Charlotte and I taught you. I'm sure you'll both be great!" Grace exclaims.

"The whole Capitol will love you!" Charlotte adds

"You both look fabulous!" Grace smiles.

"Don't forget to smile, that goes for both of you. Iva, posture!" Charlotte reminds us, "Now let's go!"

We jump into our car and the driver takes us to our destination. Soon after, I start feeling nervous, my stomach feels like it's bubbling up and I'm barely holding my breakfast down. My hands are also shaking. I know that being nervous right now is completely out of the question, since my interview angle is meant to be confident. It is that thought that calms me down, I know that someone in the car would have noticed if I eventually started hyperventilating.

As soon as we enter the building I smirk, just in case one of my fellow tributes appears. I wonder what everyone's angle will be. All I know so far is that I'm confident and Alex is deadly. Oh, and Colin will probably be scary or intimidating or something along those lines.

Our interviewer is Caesar Flickerman, the nice man who has hosted the interviews for about 5 years now. Each year so far he has dyed his hair a different colour, just for the interviews. To me, he seems a little strange, but he is nice and always tries to work with each tribute's angle. I take a giant breath and burst into the room half-filled with tributes.

First I see Faith beaming at me, then Colin and Nutmeg waving Alex and I over. I smile back at Faith and quickly walk over to Nutmeg and Colin, just as the District 12 tributes pile in, with the Districts 7 and 11 following close behind.

"Hey, you two look fabulous!" Nutmeg exclaims. Colin just rolls his eyes, obviously not caring much about clothing.

"You look great too!" I reply, not really meaning what I say. In my opinion, they both actually look kind of ridiculous, with Colin dressed in an odd outfit that slightly resembles a spear. As for Nutmeg, I have no clue what her outfit is supposed to be. She is wearing a tight green shirt with black shorts, maybe she is a trainer or something from District 2? Anyway, her stylist is obviously not great.

"Please!" she laughs, exasperated, "Our stylist is the biggest idiot in the history of the Games!" Colin and Alex share an annoyed look before turning around to the sound of the door creaking open. The District 1 tributes appear and Shine races over to us, leaving Pride to stand there awkwardly by himself.

Shine looks beautiful in a flowing white gown that reaches the floor. She is also wearing white gloves and an intricately designed silver tiara. District 1 girls always wear something similar to this, coming from the district that makes luxury items for the Capitol.

"Hey guys, excited for the interview?" Shine asks. We respond with a few murmurs of "yeah" and "mmhmm." Out of all us Careers, Shine is the dumbest. Maybe it is because she comes from District 1, where everything is easy for her and she would have never worked a day in her life, that she has time to get overly-excited and girly about everything.

I soon discover a small glass window near my head, and peer through it to see the first of the Capitol citizens taking their seats. I continue watching the seats fill up, and a small group of people in the audience notice me. They are giggling, waving and whispering to each other excitedly. One points at me, and a few other people also see me, so I leave the window, only to jump about a foot into the air when a voice suddenly comes from a microphone, informing us that the interviews start in about 10 minutes , and that we have to form a line in the order of our districts.

Alex and I take our places between districts 3 and 5, and wait for the interviews to begin. The girl from each district goes before the boy, so Shine will be first, being the female of District 1. I will be straight after the boy from District 3, whose name is apparently Huxley, but just before Alex.

Time to start the interviews.

**Ooh who liked the interviews? :0 Longest chapter so far! Please review! Please? *Puppy dog face* Woof woof. Anyway... just ignore my pet unicorn cow thing who likes eating pickles. If you are a llama, don't forget to eat some cheddar cheese next Wednesday night. St Jimmys would really appreciate it. He would also appreciate it if you stop, drop and roll next time you see an orange turtle wearing a sombrero doing the salsa. Anyway... Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hello, my pretties!**

**Sorry it took sooo loooong to update. I wasn't very motivated because i didn't get any reviews and i was suffering from a terrible disease called writers block! I have also released a new 'story.' It is actually a guide to creating your fanfiction/creating tributes. Maybe you could take a look at it!:D**

**But... you lucky little duckies get a chapter anyway! So here we are...**

I look through the window once more to see Caesar Flickerman standing up to a giant round of applause, white teeth flashing as he smiles winningly at the audience. His hair and suit this year are powder green, the same shade as the lemongrass we grow back home.

"Now let's have a big hand for our first tribute, District 1's beautiful Shine!" Caesar shouts. Shine takes the stage, instantly playing up the smart and sneaky angle that most definitely doesn't suit her.

"So, Shine, are you prepared for the Games?" Caesar asks.

"Yes of course I am prepared Caesar, I get through and difficult situation and outsmart every tribute in my sleep!" Shine replies. It actually sounds more like a cocky angle than a smart angle, but I don't really care, and obviously neither does Shine. They chatter on for a bit longer until it's time for Pride's interview. His angle must be funny or witty, but it's really not working. District 1 might not have the best mentors next year, which I will probably benefit from in the arena.

One of their mentors would be the female who won 4 years ago, I remember her games vividly. At the end it was her and the District 7 boy, and they were equally skilled. The boy was great with a sword, but could only use his weapon in close distance, and she decided to stay at least 10 metres away, while throwing her axes and knives. One axe eventually cleanly cut his shoulder and arm off, so he was defenceless. The girl, named Pearl Silverpark, then came up to him and killed him slowly and horribly. She cut off his hand from his remaining arm, then each of his feet.

She continued cutting him up, but dodging any parts that could actually kill him. Her idea must have been to give the audience a good show, and to cause that boy as much pain as possible. Eventually, when just his head and torso were the only remains, and the boy looked terrible with Pearl's name carved into his forehead, much skin scraped from his cheeks and stomach, and no limbs, Pearl stabbed him through the heart and became victor.

I shudder at the memory and the fact that I am about to be thrown into an arena with people as savage as Pearl Silverpark. I try to calm myself down as my interview slowly approaches. Nutmeg is likeable. Colin is sarcastic and powerful, I'm sure he'll have many sponsors as the crowd was always cheering for him. Alex's interview passes in the blink of an eye and I take an enormous breath, preparing myself for what is about to come.

"Now ladies and gents, let's have a big round of applause for the amazing girl of District 4!" Caesar's voice booms out. "Iva Windok!"

I arrogantly fold my arms over my chest and walk onto the stage, trying to block out the deafening cheering of the audience. Placing my decorative trident across my lap, I sit down and everything Charlotte taught me about posture runs through my head. My back automatically straightens and I put my legs in a lady-like position, always keeping my arms confidently folded. I then smirk at the cheering audience and wait for Caesar to begin the interview.

He waits a moment for the audience to quiet down a little, before he starts. "So Iva, that training score. A-maz-ing. You're the second in the whole history of the Games to get a score so high as an eleven! Can you tell us anything about that?"

My throat goes dry and I realise that now I have to speak. Speak, Iva, speak! You need to seem confident so that the Capitol likes you and you get sponsors!

"Well, I don't want everyone to know all of my many skills yet, I'm saving them for the arena." I smirk. Caesar nods.

"Do you have any strategies for the arena?" he asks. Oh no, he can't know my real strategy, the one that includes Faith and leaving the Careers. No, that will not work with my confident angle.

"I'm just planning to stick with that Careers and kill anyone else who has the misfortune to be found by me. A tribute could just be walking along when I see them. Before they know it, bang! They're either dead or dying. After all that, all I need to worry about is mentoring next year's tributes!" I reply, and the crowd goes wild.

Caesar laughs and continues the interview, "Now, your own mother is a victor, am I right?"

"Yes." I reply simply. "And I'm planning on following in her footsteps."

Caesar laughs again and exclaims, "I just love your confidence!" Good, my angle must be working. I smirk again. "What about the rest of your family? Do you miss them?" Caesar asks. Of course I miss them terribly, and it's all the Capitol's fault that we will probably never see each other again. That's what I'm tempted to say. Instead this is what comes out of my mouth, "I suppose I do miss them, but I'll be seeing them again soon, when our family gets its second house in Victor's Village!"

The crowd starts cheering again and I know that what I said was right. "Wow, that would be great! Two victors and two Victor's Village houses in one family!" Caesar chuckles.

"Yes, I can't wait to see what that's like." I reply.

"So, can you hunt?" he asks

"Yes, I can hunt, gather, and I know lots of survival skills. I'm still not going to tell anyone my best weapons, but with any of them I could knock an apple off your head from 50 metres away." I say cockily. Caesar nods quickly and enthusiastically and asks, "What gives you any higher chance of winning than other tributes?"

"I can exceed in many different areas, for survival, defence and attack. I have an eleven in training, I don't think anyone else matched that! Also, in training me and the girl from District 6 had a little competition to see who was better at a weapon of her choice. I won of course. Some of that proves my dominance, doesn't it?"

"Wow, some of your fellow tributes had better not let their guard down!" Caesar exclaims, and then tries to fit a few more questions in.

"I think your name sounds familiar. I wonder where I have heard it from?" he wonders.

"You might have heard of an Iva tree, they're my favourite!" I suggest, then I turn my head to the audience and say, "Iva also means _strong person_."

"Well then, your name really suits your personality!" he laughs.

"Now, how are you liking the Capitol so far?" Caesar asks.

"It's great! It's even nicer than District 4!" I exclaim. "I might even consider coming back here for good when I win!" As if. I still hate the Capitol with their cruel and selfish ways. As if I'd want to return for even one day!

"I hope you do return someday." Caesar smiles. The buzzer goes off and the audience groans, obviously not wanting my interview to end so quickly. "It was a pleasure meeting you." Caesar says and kisses my hand.

I stand and return to backstage, hoping desperately that I have impressed many Capitol citizens. Hoping that I have now got lots of good sponsors that will lead to life in the arena.

The arena. Tomorrow.

Chapter 11:

_I'm running as fast as I can, wind whistling through my dry, dirty hair. The mutt's terrible howls echo all around me, surrounding me. I scream and look wildly back over my shoulder at the Capitol's muttation, which has its teeth bared and is still charging at me._

_I run even faster until I come across a good tree. Panting, I climb until I reach the very top. The mutt is glaring at me and I watch it carefully, searching for any sign of defeat, of the mutt deciding to leave. Instead, I see it slowly start to climb. I'm trapped._

I wake up, still panting. I prop myself up on the end of the bed and feel a cold trickle of sweat descending down my forehead. Just a dream, just a dream. No, a nightmare. A horrible nightmare where I must have been in the arena. I imagine many possibilities, for what the arena will be like, how the deaths will look, and if I will survive. The thoughts make me feel sick, so I push them from my head.

I look at my clock and see that the time is 5.27 a.m. I probably have at least another hour until Charlotte rouses me, so I lay back down and try to go to sleep. Just then, I hear a knock on the door and Charlotte yelling at me to get up.

"Why so early?" I shout back.

"You have to be in the arena by ten o'clock. So hurry up and get out of bed!" she cries.

I sigh heavily and roll out of bed. I want more time to think. I don't know what I need to think about, I just need some quiet time alone to think about my situation. I run to the bathroom and take a short, freezing cold shower, to energise myself. I put some clothes on and go to my bed again. Sitting down, I place my head in my hands and try to figure out what to do in different situations.

I will probably have to kill in the initial Bloodbath, but then I can hopefully escape and go hide somewhere with Faith. I'm really hoping for trees or water, since I can climb and swim very well. I wonder if there will be any mutts, or if any tributes are hiding their skills. I wonder about my family. I wonder who will win.

If anyone is chasing me, who has the potential to kill me and if I happen to be unarmed, I will climb a tree. If there aren't any trees… I'll just… I don't know? Try my best to hide somewhere? Outrun them? If I was armed I suppose I would have to kill them, in self-defence. However, I make a promise to myself now, that I will never leave someone in pain for a long time, that I will make any kills quick and painless.

I shudder, wishing that I had never been reaped, that the Hunger Games were never created. Now I will probably die slowly and painfully, most likely being tortured by the Careers. I wouldn't have to worry about any of this, if I wasn't even reaped. But I was, and now there is nothing I can do to change that. Thinking back, I'm surprised no one volunteered for me. Usually in District 4 there are lots of volunteers fighting over who gets a spot in the Games, but I just had to be reaped this year, when not a soul was willing to take my place.

I look at my clock again and see that the time is now 6.05 a.m., so I start to walk down to the dining room for breakfast. I have to eat a fairly big meal to prepare myself for the arena, and drink lots of water. I'm feeling really nervous, since I know that I could be dead in a few hours.

Before this afternoon, I could easily be dead.

I walk sleepily through the door and say, "Good morning everyone."

"Good morning Iva. I hope you slept well!" Grace replies, pulling a face as she notices the bags under my eyes. "You're going into the arena soon."

"I know." I answer abruptly, not wanting to talk about it. "Where's Alex?" I ask, both wanting to change the subject and know where Alex is.

"He mustn't be ready yet, but he needs to hurry up otherwise he won't have time for breakfast!" exclaims an irritated Charlotte. I'm not really sure about Alex, he's a Career but he also seems nice enough. I actually begin to hope that he doesn't die, but of course that would be impossible if I was still trying to survive.

"Okay, thanks Charlotte." Another five minutes pass, and Charlotte begins to stress, like the frilly Capitol citizen that she is. She runs off, obviously to tell Alex to get down here now and to give him a lecture about how being late is impolite. Charlotte is moody today, maybe she didn't get enough sleep. I watch with interest as Charlotte storms around a corner, not watching where she is going, and runs headlong into Alex, who was humming a quiet tune. Charlotte trips over and lands sprawled on the floor, looking very embarrassed.

"Sorry, Charlotte!" Alex cries, helping Charlotte up.

"That's okay Alex, I should have watched where I was going." Charlotte replies, suddenly being all nice. She gets back up, dusts herself off and walks back to the dining room, where I am recovering from a fit of silent giggles. Grace shoots me a look, clearly telling me to shut up or Charlotte will probably start yelling. I send her back an apologetic glance, which doesn't really work since I am still grinning.

"Anyway, soon you will have to leave to enter the arena, in about an hour." Charlotte says, flustered. I nibble on my strawberry that I am eating and nod nervously. I briefly imagine what it will actually be like in the arena, and all traces of laughter leave me. I try to wipe my face clean of emotions, so that no one, especially Alex, can see my fear.

Grace turns to the large, fancy clock and nearly jumps out of her seat. "Time to go get changed so we can leave!" she says. This is the point where I completely get terrified and my heart pretty much stops. I am about to leave. After these past few luxurious days, I am finally forced to enter the arena, and most likely die. My eyes widen in fear, but I try to keep my feelings inside me. I think I even glimpse a small glimmer of distress in Alex's eyes, but he probably isn't nearly as panicked as me. I don't think anyone could truly be as scared as I am right now!

Alex and Charlotte gulp down the remains of their breakfast, and we get ushered downstairs to a familiar room, the room that I get prepped in. Oh no, I forgot that I had one last prepping before the arena! I roll my eyes and step slowly into the room, where the prep team wax me for the third time, and tie up my hair. They tie up my hair in a way that seems to be more for my looks, but will get in my face if a run, so I ask them to change it to something more practical. They agree and tie my hair back into a simple, tight ponytail that feels much more comfortable and out of the way. I thank them, twirling absent-mindedly with a strand of my hand, and walk into the room where Toni always waits.

As soon as I walk in, he pulls me into a tight hug. "I'll miss you!" he says.

"Thanks Toni, you're wonderful." I reply. "Thank you for both of those other dresses!"

"No problem. I think that you can win. I really do. So please, go out there and try your best." He sighs. "Here's your outfit." Toni hands me a dark green shirt, brown leather jacket, black trousers, a black belt with a sheath that could be used for a sword or knife, and brown combat boots with thick soles. I get changed and take a minute to get a feel for the shoes and clothing. Toni watches me walking around in circles, and eventually tells me that I have to go now.

I nod and give him one last hug, then turn around to walk out the door. "Remember, I believe in you, that you can win." Toni says. I nod sadly and leave.

.0

"Give me your arm." The Capitol lady says in a monotone. I oblige, and she injects something painfully about 3 centimetres into my skin. "Your tracker." She says, pretty much reading my thoughts. I just look at her until she moves onto the next person, who happens to be Faith. I look over a Faith and give her a friendly smile, which she returns with a knowing glance. "Remember, point!" I whisper. Her eyes widen and she nods, not expecting to say anything to her in front of the Careers, but no Careers heard. The Capitol lady continues walking around and injecting trackers, until it is time for our hovercraft to take off.

My stomach feels odd and empty as we rise into the air, and I feel sick. I ignore that though, and use my time to seem scary by glaring at various people in the room, including Danielle, the girl from District 6. She just smiles back at me, which she always does. Soon we land and all go to different launch rooms. Mine is small and lonely, with a small table, a jug of water, and my district token. I place my necklace carefully over my head, and drain the whole jug of water in a few gulps. I struggle to keep that down, but I know that it will save me from a whole lot of thirst and vulnerability in the arena.

Suddenly a voice echoes through the room. "30 seconds." I take that as 30 seconds until I am launched into the arena, so I step forwards into a glass tube. I look sadly around me, knowing that this will probably be the last time I ever see something that isn't the arena. "20 seconds." I press my eyelids tightly together and think of my family, who would be staring at some television screen right now, hoping and praying that I win. I have to be strong for them. "10 seconds." 10 seconds until I enter the arena. A wave of fear overcomes me and I collapse slightly against the thick wall of my tube. I breathe heavily and try to calm down. The Capitol can't see me like this, I might even lose sponsors! I take a deep breath and straighten myself up. I plaster a smirk on my face as I begin to rise. Up, up, and up until I finally get a whiff of fresh air, carrying with it a dusty smell and dirt flying onto my tube. My tube drops, and another voice begins the countdown.

I am in the arena.

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**Thanks very much for reading**!

-Jaz


	6. Chapter 6

**Everyone! Listen up! I'm looking around for a beta. If you're interested please PM me. The beta-ing will just be for this story! This is the arena chapter! Wow, I'm excited! Here it is...**

60, 59, 58, 57, 56… I take a good look at my surroundings, which mainly consists of 4 mountains. On each side there is a different one.

To my right is a dry, dusty mountain that looks like a desert. There are rocks and red dust everywhere. There may be food sources like lizards, edible rodents, or even rabbits there. There is one more thing that catches my attention there.

Iva trees.

In front of me is a bright and colourful mountain that looks full of life. The thick, foresty trees look great for concealment, shelter and food, but I know that most people who escape the Bloodbath will go there. Since many people will be there, it will not be safe, and the Gamemakers will probably have lots mutts there.

To my left is a white mountain, covered in snow and ice. There are a few large rocks here and there, scattered across the mountain. When I look closely, there is a small pile of things that look like supplies at the very top. Not many tributes would go to that mountain, but the arduous climb could be worth it, for getting the supplies. Also, there are a few small patches of forest starting to emerge. Maybe soon the snow will melt away or something?

Behind me, there is a mountain with lots of little trees, worthless for climbing and with orange leaves falling. There seems to be a big field around halfway up the mountain, which looks like a valuable grain source.

I get it. Each mountain represents a season!

The bright mountain in front of me, that must represent spring, looks like it could hold water. The rest looks dry, unless you count the frozen water on the snowy mountain. The snowy mountain is winter, I think to myself, looking to my left. I glance quickly to my right and back. To my right must be summer, with the dry, dusty environment, and behind me represents autumn.

30, 29, 28, 27, 26… I look around, seeing some other tributes looking in all directions, some obviously coming to the same conclusion as me. Faith is one of them, though she hasn't given me any signal yet as to where she would like to go

20, 19, 18, 17, 16… I stare into the Cornucopia. It is directly in front of me, and contains food, water and weapons, from what I see. There are 3 bows and matching sets of arrows right in the centre, just waiting for me. There are all different supplies, scattered between the tributes and the Cornucopia. Just in front of me is a roll of duct tape and a thick piece of rope.

The items get more valuable, the closer to the Cornucopia they are. About halfway to the Cornucopia, there is a small, sharp knife sitting on top of a large loaf of bread. Near that is a small backpack overflowing with items that would be able to help anyone survive for a while. There are a few bottles of water lying around, but right in the Cornucopia, lies the best stuff.

There is a board standing up with about ten different sheaths attached, each one holding a different kind of deadly sword. I see one, a giant, curved sword that looks like it could slice someone's head off without a problem, even in the hands of someone inexperienced. There is also a large tent pack and what looks like a guide to what plants in the arena are edible.

I don't need to worry about what I get. Since many tributes just flee from the death scene, only a few supplies are taken from this area, and the Careers just collect the many leftovers for themselves, therefore having a better chance of staying alive. If my plan falls through, I will have my pick tonight at everything that I want, then leave and not have to share with the greedy Careers.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6… I will have to kill… I might have to kill many tributes, since I am the highest scoring tribute, and everyone expects a lot from me. I will have to run right in there, grab a bow, arrows and maybe even a few knives, and kill people. If I survive the arena, I will have many horrible memories, lifeless faces in my mind of people that I, myself killed. I don't want to, but I have to.

I feel eyes piercing the back of my neck and I whip around to see Faith staring at me meaningfully. She subtly points to the small area between the spring and winter mountains. I nod, equally subtle and position myself to sprint right into the thick of things. I prepare for the feeling that I will soon have, the feeling of just having killed people, of taken an innocent life, all of someone's hopes and dreams, fantasies, their family's happiness…

3, 2, 1… I run.

I sprint as fast as I can straight into the Cornucopia, to get my hands on the beloved bow, and the arrows. Just a metre away, I have to duck to avoid getting hit square on the head with a knife. If I didn't have good reflexes, I would be dead. Surprised, I glance around to see who my attacker was, and my eyes widen as I see Nutmeg, glaring and baring her teeth, raising another knife.

I duck again as she begins to throw with all the force she can muster, but I don't need to, for Shine has just saved my life. I stare at the dying girl, Nutmeg, only metres from me, who has a knife stuck right into her temple. Shine must have seen my distress and helped me out, but now she has killed one of her allies. Nutmeg is dead. After staring in shock for a minute, I remember where I am and what I have to do.

I give Shine a thankful glance, though I'm shocked she could just kill someone she knew so easily, with no remorse. She's just being a real Career, I tell myself, and now I have to be one too. I reach for the nearest bow, a metal one, and the matching arrows and whip around, trying to find someone to kill. I see Faith running off, unharmed, in the direction that she pointed to earlier. Other than that, everything is blood, gore and fighting.

The girl from District 11 is rapidly dodging spears that Alex is throwing at her, until one hits her in the abdomen, and she falls to the ground, dying. Shine just pinned the District 9 boy to the ground, and is slowly slicing through his neck. The boy is crying out in pain. Colin is having an intense sword fight with Pride, the District 1 male. Colin has the upper hand, but still has a deep cut on his left forearm. He could be in trouble, so I effortlessly shoot Pride through the head.

My first kill. I shudder at the thought of having just killed someone, but I have to do it again.

I turn around, and see the District 5 boy grabbing a backpack, starting to scramble away. I shoot him in the small of his back, and he coughs blood everywhere, before collapsing helplessly onto a water skin. The water skin bursts and soaks him, but it doesn't matter. He is already dead.

I hear a whistling sound speeding towards my head, and duck instinctively. An arrow flies above me, and I look over my shoulder to see that District 6 girl, Danielle, aiming another arrow at my neck. I dodge it and stand up, glaring. Of course, she smiles sweetly back, just to annoy me. I string an arrow and dodge another of Danielle's shots. I shoot from the ground, not my best aiming position, and only shoot next to her heart.

She drops, clearly in a lot of pain, and clutches her heart. "Please… Just kill me now…" she mumbles. As much as Danielle is one of my least favourite tributes, I hate to see her in so much pain. I oblige and shoot her through the head. Her eyes go glassy, and her sweet, signature smile fades slightly. My third kill in two minutes.

I jump as I hear a loud sound behind me, the turn around and see the District 7 male trying to sneak past me, into the Cornucopia to get supplies. Stupid boy. I grab a knife this time and throw it into his leg, so that he yells out in pain and collapses. He grabs the nearest axe and attempts to kill me with it, but only creates a deep gash on my shoulder.

I run up to him and stab him through the heart, trying not to look at the heavy stream of blood flowing from his leg, blood that I have taken. He never did anything to me, except try to kill me in pure self-defence, but here I am looking at another dead person my age that I have killed. Now, the only sounds I can hear are myself groaning at the pain in my shoulder, and a faint metal clanging on metal.

The last two surviving tributes are just disappearing from my sight, completely out of range to shoot or even to know who they are. The girl from District 12 is too slow and Alex spears her through the heart, and Colin's last victim has just fallen to the ground. The Careers all join me at the Cornucopia and we raise our hands in triumph, congratulating each other.

"Hey… Where's Nutmeg?" Colin asks, obviously just realising that she was missing.

"Over there." I reply, pointing to the nearest dead body. Nutmeg's lifeless dark hazel eyes stare back at me.

"Um… Ok?" Colin says, confused as to why a Career is already dead. He lowers his hands and furrows his eyebrows. "Who killed her?"

"It was me." Shine admits.

"Why did you kill a Career? Now we have a slightly weaker alliance!" he exclaims dangerously.

"Nutmeg was about to kill Iva!" Shine yells back. "Iva is much more valuable than Nutmeg, so I had to kill Nutmeg!"

"Ok, but why?" Colin asks.

"I don't know. She was throwing knives at me and I didn't have a bow yet. So Shine shot Nutmeg." I explain quietly. "Oh, and thanks, Shine! You saved my life!"

"That's okay, Iva." she replies, looking at Colin to see if he understands.

"Oh, well in that case, well done Shine! We couldn't be losing our little Iva so early, could we?" I roll my eyes at him.

"Who killed who and how many?" Alex asks.

"Um… Two. Nutmeg and the boy from 9" says Shine

"Four." Colin says proudly. "Both from 3, the dude from 11 and the girl from 9. I nearly had Pride as well, but Iva got him first."

"Four." I sigh, not proud that I have just killed four people within minutes. I begin counting off on my fingers. "Pride, the boy from 5, Danielle and the boy from District 7."

"The girls from 11 and 12." Alex says. Colin scoffs at him.

"The girls from the poorest districts? Interesting…" he says, teasing Alex.

"Oh well!" Alex replies, irritated.

"Okay, okay!" Colin exclaims, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Don't kill me too!"

Alex just glares and Colin laughs in a friendly way.

"Let's collect the supplies now." I suggest. Everyone agrees and we get to work.

Chapter 13:

"Done!" I shout, placing the last can of beef curry onto the pile. I hear Shine and Alex breathe out a heavy sigh of relief, before standing back to admire out work. We have neatly stacked all our supplies in three different piles. One for weapons, one for food and drink, and one for survival.

The weapons pile is the largest, with an enormous range. There are bows, knives, spears, axes, maces, slingshots and many swords. Colin is staring longingly at the swords. I didn't know that he could even use them, since he mainly stuck with spears in training, but it turns out that he is more than capable. There are only three bows, and three quivers full of arrows. What stands out to me the most though, is the abundance of knives. Short and curved, serrated and long, thin and deadly, they are all covering everything.

The stack of survival supplies is relatively small, holding mostly blankets and medicine. There are a few first aid kits scattered around, as well as tent packs, blankets, tubes of medicine, matches, and that little booklet on edible plants. There are also small coils of rope and wire, which wouldn't come in handy here, but most likely would if I escape to wherever Faith is now.

The food and drink pile is mainly water bottles and cans of food, though there are also little cartons of fruit juice, and many food packets. I notice that the food packets are mostly filled with good things that would last without going bad. There are things like beef jerky, crackers, potatoes, dried fruit and oats, but also things to eat first, like bread or chicken.

"Looks great." Colin states, turning his head away from the weapons to face us. Alex nods in agreement, while I start to sort out anything that could be useful to Faith and I. Blankets, a first aid kit, food, water, weapons… What is Faith's weapon of choice? I should have asked, because now I will just have to guess. For some reason she seems like an axe girl, I'm not sure why.

The temperature here is just how I like it, a little on the cold side. It's nice when it is hot, so that I can swim, but when I'm out of the water it can become uncomfortable. Right now, there is just a cool breeze brushing my face, and the sun is shining lightly through the clouds.

"Does anyone know where anyone else is, like, the tributes that aren't us?" Shine asks.

I think back to the Bloodbath. All I remember is dead people, people dying, myself nearly getting killed, and the dark flash of Faith's hair flying behind her as she ran to that small area between the spring and winter mountains. I don't remember where anyone else was heading, but obviously Alex does.

"I think the girl from District 8 went that way." Alex says, pointing towards the winter mountain. The girl from District 8… Faith! We can't go hunt her down!

"Um… she seems really sneaky. She'd be great at hiding." I say hurriedly, coming up with excuses. "Maybe we should go for the District 6 guy, he went to the right edge of the spring mountain."

"Spring mountain?" Shine questions dumbly.

"Yes, the mountain over there." I say pointing to my right, speaking slowly as though Shine were a four year old. "Each mountain represents a different season."

"If you know what a season is." Colin chips in. Shine gives him a death glare and spits back,

"I'm sorry that I wasn't staring at nature, and figuring out its _wonders. _I was a bit busy." She smirks and flips her golden blonde hair behind her ear. Colin rolls his eyes and turns to me. "So, the District 6 boy is over there somewhere?" he inquires, pointing to the right edge of the spring mountain.

"Yep." I nod, popping the 'p.' I don't really know where anyone is, I'm just trying to lead them away from my future ally. "Well, I know for sure that it was a boy, but I don't really know which District."

Just as I finish talking, a cannon booms, signalling the first death since the Bloodbath. Alex drops the spear he was lifting from the pile in surprise, and it narrowly misses his foot. I wonder who died. I send a silent prayer to God, praying that it wasn't Faith. The rest of the cannons will go off tonight.

"I wonder who that was." Shine frowns.

"Me too." I say.

"Who cares? We'll find out tonight." Colin exclaims. "Now let's just go!"

"Let's eat something first, in case we are gone for a while and get hungry!" Alex suggests. We agree and I take on the role as the cook, grabbing a few cans of lamb stew and tipping them into a pot.

"Can someone make a fire?" I ask.

"I will." Alex replies, looking me directly in the eye. He sets to work, building the fire and then igniting it with a match. I doesn't matter that a column of smoke is rising into the air, because no tribute would try to attack us. If another tribute lit a fire, we would see them, track them and kill them easily. That's one of the good things about being a Career, that pretty much everyone is terrified of you.

In that moment, my mind contemplates the idea of staying with the Careers, and not going to Faith. I would have a better chance at surviving if I did that.

Wait! I'm not staying here! The Careers will end up turning on me, like Nutmeg did! What was I thinking? Faith would be waiting for me, and I would rather die looking at Faith, not the Careers.

I wonder why Nutmeg did risk her life trying to kill me. She must know that I would have been a threat. That I could win this and that I could be a big obstacle in her path to becoming victor, an obstacle best gotten rid of sooner rather than later.

I snap back to reality and look around. Alex has just finishing making the fire, Shine and Colin are talking to each other, and our supplies are still intact. Alex calls me over and I warm the stew over the fire, watching it slowly bubble up. Shine and Colin join us, sitting around the fire. "Smells good." Shine states.

"Thanks." I reply, smiling at her. It is a bit quieter without Nutmeg around, but I like it. "You know, while this is cooking, we should bandage up our cuts and stuff. They might get infected."

Colin nods. "Good thinking."

"Do we even have any bandages?" Shine asks. I'm not sure how she can be so stupid, after all, I saw her helping to pile up all of our bandages and medicines. Also, there are always bandages in the Cornucopia.

"Yes, Shine." Alex sighs, gesturing to the survival pile. "I'll go get them."

I nod and watch him trot to the bandages and medicines, and grab some antiseptic cream and clean, sterile cloth. While he is gone, I think about Shine, and what we can do about her. She is dumb enough that I can probably trap her somehow, maybe when I leave to go to Faith.

I can tell her we are going hunting or something, then kill her. I don't really want to kill her, since she just saved my life, but Shine is someone best gotten rid of. Plus, it would be an advantage to have a weak Career alliance of two people.

"Who has cuts?" Alex asks.

"Me!" Colin and I both shout.

"I have a few bruises." Shine says.

"Antiseptic cream doesn't help with bruises." Colin answers, rolling his eyes. I have a feeling that he is starting to plan how to get rid of Shine as well.

Alex hands Colin and I a bit of cream each, which I spread onto my shoulder, where the District 7 boy hit me with his axe. Colin has a cut on his arm, and a deep gash on his left thigh. Alex only has a few little bruises, and Shine is only slightly worse.

"The stew's done." I announce, removing the pot from the fire. I look around, searching for any form of cutlery. "We'll have to use our hands."

"No problem!" Colin says, digging in. We follow his lead and finish the whole meal in about two minutes.

"That was delicious." Shine says, licking her fingers.

"Yeah, yum!" Alex adds. I smile at them both and set the pot aside.

"Now can we go?" asks Colin.

I laugh. "Am I the boss now?"

"No!" he exclaims. "I was just… checking that you were finished!"

"Sure, sure." I tease him. "Anyway, I'm ready. "

"So am I." Alex adds.

"And me!" Shine exclaims.

"Let's go!"

We each grab a random backpack, and our favourite weapons. I get a bow and two quivers of arrows, Shine has got about 10 knives, Colin has a deadly sword and a few spears, and Alex has a few spears and axes.

"Um... shouldn't we protect the supplies?" Shine asks

"Hmm... smartest thing I've ever heard you say..." Colin trails off, trying to think of a solution.

"We need to set a trap." I state the obvious.

"I know what to do!" Alex exclaims, running back to the Cornucopia. "Can you all gather lots of leaves?"

"Sure." I reply. What on Earth does he need leaves for? How will leaves protect the supplies. While we collect leaves, Alex begins to manipulate a few pieces of rope. I bring an armful of leaves over and look at what he is doing.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Making snares."

"Okay, what for?" I wave Shine and Colin over, to listen to Alex's idea.

"I'll make a few snares, and surround the Cornucopia with them. We can cover them with leaves, so no one will notice them. Then, if someone tried to steal from us, they'd most likely get stuck in a snare and we'd get them when we get back." Alex explains.

"What if they don't step in a snare?" Shine inquires.

"Do you have a better idea?" he shoots back.

"How are we going to get to our supplies when we need them?" Colin asks, full of doubt.

"If we look really carefully, we should be able to find where they are and dodge them."

"It's a great idea Alex. Just keeping tying so we can go soon." I say. He obliges and the rest of us gather a few more leaves. Pretty much just as we return, Alex finishes and begins carefully placing the snares around our supplies. They are soon also covered with leaves and we are finally ready to go.

"So, the right edge of the spring mountain?" Alex asks me. I nod, not really having a clue, but who knows? Maybe there actually is a tribute hiding over there!

"Well, let's go then!"

**Remember, I'm looking for a beta. PM me if your interested! Please review!:)**


	7. AN:(

**A/N:**

**Sorry, but this chapter is just an Author's Note telling you that I fixed chapter 3. I read through the great reviews from Radio-Free-Death, and decided to change that random fight thing with Danielle, to make Iva stay more in character. Thanks again to Radio-Free-Death! :D**

**Also, I won't be able to write as often and there might be a few short chapters (around 1000 words I mean), because it's nearly Christmas and I'm super busy with school stuff and heaps of Christmas parties. I've got high school orientations, concerts, piano exams, year 6 graduation and all sorts of stuff, and it's becoming hard to find writing time.:(**

**If you have read the old chapter 3, go back and read the new one- it makes more sense. If you haven't read the old one and I'm making no sense to you, don't worry about it!**

**There were more little things that the reviews pointed out, but I can't really change them now, and we'll all survive if I don't!**

**I would still really appreciate any reviews for the other chapters, even just saying that you've read the story and if you liked it or not. It's annoying not knowing if people are even reading my story! **

**I'm so sorry for the A/N chapter! Love you all!**

**-Jaz**


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